Hemovigilance and patient safety: analysis of immediate transfusion reactions in elderly

Objective: To identify immediate transfusion reactions in elders hospitalized in a public hospital in the Federal District. Methods: This is an observational, retrospective, documental, and analytical research, with a quantitative analysis of 516 transfusions of packed red blood cells in elders hospitalized in the largest public hospital, who required blood components, from June to December 2017, through descriptive statistics. Results: The sample corresponded to 46.36% of the total number of transfusions in elders in the period. The mean age was 70 years old. There were adverse effects (reactions to the transfusion) in 12 (2.3%) transfusions. Respiratory alterations (33.3%) and fever (23.8%) were the most common events. Conclusion: The incidence of reactions to the transfusion is below national and international rates, indicating probable undernotification, which could be associated to a lack of knowledge regarding its clinical manifestations and the lack of systematic monitoring of the transfusion.